Luke 2:15 -16 - When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us. So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger." NASU
I send this Pump Up out every year at this time for all my new subscribers. I have made some updates to it this year. May you have a very Merry Christmas.
What some may not know is the meaning of Bethlehem. It means "house of bread." Jesus was the Bread of Life or the Bread of God that came from the "house of bread" to give spiritual life to the world. John 6:33 - "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." John 6:35 - Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. John 6:41 - So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” John 6:48 - "I am the bread of life." John 6:51 - "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Jesus was and is the Bread of Life. If you are spiritually hungry Jesus is the One who can take away all of your hunger pains. If you have been wondering - "What is my purpose in life?" Then look to Jesus for your answers. I did and have never regretted looking to Him for guidance in this life.
The sheep were offered on the altar were special as they were sheep without a blemish. When John the Baptist saw Jesus he said this about Him. John 1:29 - The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John saw Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and this Lamb was born in Bethlehem where a lot of other lambs were born and would sacrifice their blood. But only the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus, could atone for the sins of mankind. I hope and pray you have allowed the blood of Jesus to wash away your sins.
What greater gift could anyone receive? Truly, Jesus is the Gift that keeps on giving. Think on This: Jesus is the reason for the season. The Christmas season is only as meaningful as we make it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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1 Corinthians 2::2 - "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." NASU
He was going to learn about Him by studying the Old Testament. In Paul's day, the writings were not called the Old Testament. They were called The Law and The Prophets. Matt. 5:17 - "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill." After Jesus' resurrection but before His ascension when talking with His disciples He names the Law, the Prophets and adds the Psalms as a way of description. Many years later the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms will become known as the Old Testament. Lk 24:44-45 - Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." When you read the writings of Paul you will find him quoting numerous scriptures from the Old Testament, which indicates he was studying the scriptures because he wanted to know all he could about Jesus Christ. I did a very quick scan of the book of Romans and I identified 38 different quotes from the Old Testament scriptures. Paul studied the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms because he was determined to know Jesus Christ. Here is what Paul has to say about the Old Testament in the book of Romans 15:4 -"For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." You are never hopeless if you are reading God's Word.
What greater goal could you have for yourself? I have started to study the book of Ecclesiastes in my personal life and the main theme of this book is really simple and straight to the point. Everything we do is meaningless except to have a loving relationship with God. Solomon says it this way: "Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person." NLT I would like to explain the word "fear" as it doesn't have the same meaning as the definition of fear that generally comes to our mind when we hear it. It is not the "fear" you would have if someone were robbing you at gunpoint or you encountered a rattlesnake on a path where you are walking. The Hebrew word is "yare" and it means "to revere or show reverence". When I was young we were taught to take off our hats when the National Anthem was played. If you didn't have a hat on you were to put your right hand on your heart, stand still, and don't talk to show reverence. The older I become the happier I am that I gave my life to the Lord Jesus Christ and I believe the best thing we can do is show Him reverence by learning as much as we possibly can about Him. Think About These: Our goal should be Service, not success. If God is kept outside, something must be wrong inside. Fix it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Jn 5:36 - "… the very works that I do — testify about Me,…" NASU
John the Baptist was in prison and he is having some doubts about Jesus being the Messiah so he sends some of his men to ask Jesus if He were the One that was to come or should they be looking for another. Jesus gives them this answer in Luke 7:22-23 - And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed , and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM." NASU Oh yeah, He is the One all right because Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be doing exactly what Jesus said He has been doing.
I was at the bedside of a man who was going in for some major heart surgery. When we were all alone he confessed to me that he had not been living his life correctly and he would like to have a second chance to make things right at home, at work and most importantly with the Lord. I prayed that he would come through his surgery successfully and that the Lord would allow him time to change his legacy. I learned something really important from that brother that day and it was when you are faced with the possibility that you might die you really want to arrange your life according to those things which are really important.
If you said, "My family, my job or the Lord is important to me." Then your works should be your proof that your family, job or the Lord is really important to you. Don't say that something is important to you and then have no works to support your statement because that will make you a hypocrite and that is certainly not what you're interested in accomplishing. It was really important for Jesus to stay focused on His goals and we see Him doing exactly that staying focused on His purpose for coming to earth. That is why He says that His works testify about Him. So ask yourself this question: "What do your works say about you?" Think on These: The plain fact is that human beings are happy only when they are striving for something worthwhile. This will be a better world when the power of love replaces the love of power. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Matt 27:50 -51 - And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. NASU
Gen. 37:33-34 - Then he examined it and said, "It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!" So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. NASU David also tears his clothes when he receives news of the death or King Saul and his son Jonathan. 2 Sam. 1:11-12 - Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him. They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. My Opinion is: When God tore the veil in the temple He was tearing His garment to display His grief over the death of His Son. For my readers that may not be familiar with the temple and veil let me explain: the temple was divided into two parts the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. What separated these two parts was the Veil. The only person allowed in the Holy of Holies was the High Priest and he would only go in there on the Day of Atonement. Now the Veil has been torn and we have access to the Father through Jesus Christ His Son and not one day a year but everyday of the year we have access to Him.
It has also been said that the tearing of a garment at the time of death is a reminder that the body has been torn away from the spirit. The spirit is now alive with God. What better thought for us to dwell upon as we approach Resurrection Sunday. Jesus is with the Heavenly Father and so can we be with them. When we die we can go to Heaven as long as we have confessed Jesus to be our Savior and Lord, repented of our sins and been immersed into Christ through baptism. It is my prayer you will make sure you have taken care of this very important decision. Think About These: When we die we leave behind us all that we have and take with us all that we are. The nearer the time comes for our departure from this life, the greater our regret for wasting so much of it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Two Interesting Facts About Jesus' Birth Place
Luke 2:15-16 - When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us. So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger." NASU I send this Pump Up out every year at this time for all my new subscribers. I have made some updates to it this year. May you have a very Merry Christmas.
What some may not know is the meaning of Bethlehem. It means "house of bread." Jesus was the Bread of Life or the Bread of God that came from the "house of bread" to give spiritual life to the world. John 6:33 - "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." John 6:35 - Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. John 6:41 - So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” John 6:48 - "I am the bread of life." John 6:51 - "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Jesus was and is the Bread of Life. If you are spiritually hungry Jesus is the One who can take away all of your hunger pains. If you have been wondering "What is my purpose?" Then look to Jesus for your answers.
The sheep were offered on the altar were special as they were sheep without a blemish. When John the Baptist saw Jesus he said this about Him. John 1:29 - The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John saw Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and this Lamb was born in Bethlehem where a lot of other lambs were born and would sacrifice their blood. But only the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus, could totally atone for the sins of mankind. I hope and pray you have allowed the blood of Jesus to wash away your sins.
What greater gift could anyone receive? Truly, Jesus is the Gift that keeps on giving. Think on This: Jesus really is the reason for the season. The Christmas season is only as meaningful as we make it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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